Group of Five: Week 8 Access Bowl Power Rankings

Middle Tennessee bolstered their case for the Group of Five’s automatic spot on Saturday when they took down Missouri in a 51-45 shootout. Brent Stockstill outdueled his Tigers counterpart Drew Lock, completing 23 of 41 passing attempts for 280 yards and four scores. The Blue Raiders had trouble containing Mizzou running back Damarea Crockett, who went for 156 yards and four touchdowns. But I’Tavius Mathers did even better, gashing the Tiger defense for 215 yards despite getting one less carry. Though overshadowed by Oklahoma-Texas Tech, these two offenses combined for over 1200 yards as well.

The Blue Raiders are the last team standing in Conference USA with only two losses, but they’ll still need help just to win their division. The loss to Western Kentucky could prove costly, as the Hilltoppers also only have one loss in league play. Middle Tennessee takes on Florida International on the road next weekend in another game with divisional implications. If the Blue Raiders win, they’ll need one more loss by WKU to take sole possession of C-USA East. If they do manage to win their conference, Middle Tennessee now has a statement win to burnish their resume.